Making hummus: Aspiring middle class food thread.

[Hitchington]

I need @vernon's opinion.

Venison and bacon pie for tea tonight.

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Nice chips

 

[threebikesmcginty]

I need @vernon's opinion.

Venison and bacon pie for tea tonight.

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What's that compost stuff on the plate for?

 

[Crackle]

I need @vernon's opinion.

Venison and bacon pie for tea tonight.

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I haven't seen a salad like that since me nan made one. Are you quite old, Rocky?

 

[Crackle]

I have to confess that it's pub food........perhaps the chef is in his 90s.

Ah, it makes sense now. Pub garnish.

 

[theclaud]

Aaahhh polenta, it's never very good is it, what can you do with the stuff to raise it beyond bland shíteness?

Load it (and I do mean load it) with butter and parmesan, let it go cold, slice it and grill it.

You are right, though, that it is not big on inherent virtues. My fave chef, Alastair Little, on the subject:

Polenta is cornmeal porridge and to first tastes is about as attractive as it sounds (second and third tastes too). It has virtually no nutritive value, in fact people from poor polenta-eating areas, mainly in the Alps, suffered from various deficiency diseases due to their dependence on the stuff. Not only this, but it requires 45 minutes standing and stirring to cook - no wonder the diehards of the food world love it; it's tedious to prepare and tastes like grainy wallpaper paste. However, bowing to peer pressure, there are ways of making the stuff more than edible. Firstly, the Italians make it with with virtually no additions, a little butter and cheese perhaps, but they talk about the purity of taste and texture. These are precisely the qualities I strive to hide.​

 

[Doseone]

If you think Polenta is bad you should try Ugali.

 

[TheDoctor]

Polenta is wonderful stuff. If you're trying to grout a patio.
As for Ugali, Peter Moore, in his excellent travel book No Sh**ting in the Toilet, describes it thusly :-
A tasteless mixture of maize and water that will leave you feeling leaden and queasy.
I defy anyone to gaze upon a plate of ugali and claim that they haven't been ripped off. Even if they got it for free.

 

[srw]

Almost all British middle-class food involves the usurpation of European/Mediterranean peasant cuisine.

Discuss.

Stir-fries. Sprout tops. Jersey Royals. Home-made Pad Thai. Quinoa. Tofu. Balsamic vinegar. Prosecco. Goose fat.

All decidedly British middle-class. None of them both European/Mediterranean and peasant.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Stir-fries. Sprout tops. Jersey Royals. Home-made Pad Thai. Quinoa. Tofu. Balsamic vinegar. Prosecco. Goose fat.

All decidedly British middle-class. None of them both European/Mediterranean and peasant.

None? You might want to recheck the list....

 

[srw]

Reading "European" as "not British", yes. Prosecco isn't peasant - the peasants woud have drunk something still and vinegary, and would have used unaged grape vinegar rather than aged balsamic.

 

[Tin Pot]

Apart from never being entirely sure if I've spelt it right, a bit like Anglesey or necessary, I also can't make it very well. It always tastes shite and is barring my way into middle class comfort and accompanying smugness.

You've got it the wrong way around - start with the smugness, and the hummus will find you.

 

[Fnaar]

You mind you don't spill your polenta

I'll never forget the time I spilled my polenta onto Miss Goodbody's skirt.

 

[Fnaar]

Home cooking when I was a student at Pisa. Our host used to make various dumpling dishes from leftovers. Not bad with a decent ragu over them.

I'll never forget the time I poured my ragu over Miss Goodbody's dumplings

 

[vernon]

I need @vernon's opinion.

Venison and bacon pie for tea tonight.

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11/10 For the pie concept.

I'd need ear defenders for the salad. It's a bit loud innit?

Chips look a tad faux.

 

[Fnaar]

Stir-fries. Sprout tops. Jersey Royals. Home-made Pad Thai. Quinoa. Tofu. Balsamic vinegar. Prosecco. Goose fat.

All decidedly British middle-class. None of them both European/Mediterranean and peasant.

I'll never forget the time I combined my sprout tops with Miss Goodbody's Jersey Royals.